


You weren't there

by PoisonJack



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: ...i hate that thats the tag now what happened to Rhys as Jack's PA?, Established Relationship, General au, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Painkillers, Rhys is Handsome Jack's Personal Assistant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-19 15:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Rhys gets clocked by some machinery and ends up in the hospital where he tells Jack some interesting things all looped-out on painkillers :3From a hurt meme prompt request on tumblr:Hurt meme. "I woke up and you weren't there."





	You weren't there

**Author's Note:**

> Some super indulgent h/c tropey fun here :)

It was routine really. Jackhad Rhys accompany him down to robotics to see some of the new prototypes the engineers were coming up with. Mini-claptrap units and the like, cleaning bots, etc.

They were being briefed on a new heavy-duty loader bot to deal with some of the more troublesome fauna down on Pandora. The bolts suspending the thing had come loose, and Rhys noticed just a moment too late. The new loader prototype swung around and clocked him right in the side of the head, knocking him over.

As he lay there dazed on the floor and the scientists were trying to fix things, the remaining bolts couldn’t take the weight, and it fell. Jack managed to pull Rhys out of the way in time from becoming a red spot of paste, but now he was halfway trapped under the thing and he let out a shout of pain.

The younger man was bleeding from his echo port and trying to stay focused on Jack’s shouting face above him as his vision swam. Everything was spinning and hurt and tinged an odd shade of red, and it hurt to draw breath.

Jack was issuing threat after threat as the scientists hurried to get the thing off him and a med team was called. The CEO felt a thrill of terror go up his spine as he watched Rhys, the light in his echoeye blinking and stuttering before it went out.

“I can’t-” he swallowed heavily, choking on the pain, “-feel my legs.”

“Hey hey don’t worry, we’ll get this piece of shit off you just hang in there kiddo.”

“Jack….everything hurts.”

With a heave of group effort, the team managed to lift the loader just enough for Jack to pull Rhys out. The younger man screamed at the release of pressure, and he blacked out after that to sweet painless oblivion.

When he came to, he was alone in a hospital bed. He didn’t feel any pain. As a matter of fact, he felt amazing. High as a kite one might even say. The cocktail of painkillers running through his system was top-shelf. By the time Jack walked in the room with a worried, haggard look about his handsome face, Rhys had a big easy grin for the older man.

“Rhysie… You’re awake kiddo.”

“Hi.” He smiled brightly at Jack, and the older man immediately fussed over him. Jack nuzzled him, gently, gently touching him. He kissed the side of his face as Rhys slowly touched him, feeling light as a feather. He looked up at Jack in a drugged-out haze. “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“Sorry pumpkin. Had to vent a few scientists and speak to your doctors.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Rhys was pumped full of all kinds of pain medication, and Jack was watching him with curious amusement. The younger man didn’t appear in any pain, but the bruises around his port and side of his face told another story.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m okay. How are you?”

Jack snorted. Nope? He wasn’t going to get any coherency when Rhys was this out of it. But that was okay. He sat and stroked the younger man’s hair and kissed his other temple. Rhys deliriously told him how nice his hands felt, how good he smelled. Was he in heaven?

“No kitten, you’re not in heaven.”

“Oh that’s good. Because I would miss you.”

Jack snorted again. Yes. High out of his friggin’ mind. Jack would need to ask the doctors what they were pumping him with. Jack threaded his fingers with Rhys’ flesh hand and brought the back of his palm to his mouth to kiss.

“That feels so nice. I love it when you touch me,” Rhys told him freely, an easy smile on his loopy face.

“You love the side effects of those painkillers,” Jack murmured in amusement.

“Mm no no I love you.”

Jack looked a bit surprised, but held back anything he might want to say about that. He kissed Rhys’ cheek, ghosted lips across the bruises at his port, and told the younger man to try to get some rest. When Rhys tugged at him, he promised he would be there when he woke up.

–

The first week back at work after multiple physicals and sparse visits from Jack, Rhys felt like the CEO was paying extra close attention to him. Everything Jack said to him seemed to have a little smirk accompanying it, like he was privy to some joke Rhys didn’t know about.

The younger man stood with arms akimbo looking at the CEO with a frown. “Did I say anything weird?”

“Hm?”

“When I was ‘all drugged out’, as you put it. You said I acted really funny.”

Jack swallowed the smirk on his face. “Nope sugarplum.”

“You’re acting different.”

“Am I?” Rhys gave him a suspicious raise of his brow. “Take my temperature, maybe I’m coming down with something.”

Rhys frowned but also didn’t count out that possibility. He crossed over to stand next to the older man and put his hand over Jack’s forehead.

“You don’t feel any hotter to me.”

“I definitely feel sick,” the older man told him with a smirk. Rhys put his hand back on Jack’s forehand again with determination to discover something. Jack removed it to being his palm to his lips, kissing it. “Maybe tell me how much you love me again and it’ll go away.”

Rhys went pale before he turned absolutely red. “What?”

“You love me, kitten,” Jack accused, refusing to relinquish the younger man’s hand as Rhys sputtered, caught-out. “You love my hands, you love it when I touch you, and you love me.”

Rhys tugged fruitless for his hand back, and Jack pulled the younger man into his lap. He held his back to his chest, and pecked a kiss to his flustered PA’s cheek. 

“Say it again, kitten.”

“Jaaaaack.”

“Come on, it’s easy.” The CEO tugged at Rhys’ ear gently with his teeth before he whispered in the younger man’s ear. “I. Love. You.” He pressed his lips to Rhys’ thundering pulse. “Rhysie.”

“…Jack.”

“We’ll stay here all night if we have to, baby,” the older man told him as he began peppering kisses about the younger man’s skin and untucked his shirt from his pants. Ten minutes later and Rhys was shouting the words, echoing off the walls of the grand office. 

Jack nuzzled him close and practically purred in his throat. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“You’re an asshole,” Rhys sighed as he reclined against the older man’s chest. 

“But…?” Jack waited, a smirk on his face as Rhys looked back at him in surrender.

“But I love you.”

“I love you too, pumpkin.”

**Author's Note:**

> Awww Jack you big romantic asshole <3 :) i hope none of yall need a mouthful of dirt for this sweet ending like i did when i wrote it ahahah
> 
> [my tumblr](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/) | [my fic masterlist archive](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/134979026515/poisonjack-ao3-fic-archive) | [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge) | [my pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/PoisonJack)  
> (Just an FYI: you'll need to be logged in to tumblr for my blog to show up since it's marked explicit :D)
> 
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you enjoyed! ao3 FAQ: [Can I post comments anonymously, or if I don't have an Archive account? ](https://archiveofourown.org/faq/comments-and-kudos?language_id=en#anoncomment)


End file.
